The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for rapidly freezing and packaging dessert particles such as cream, ice cream or flavored water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,864 discloses a quick freezing machine having an insulated tank for holding liquid nitrogen and an endless slack conveyor belt supported between opposite sides of the tank with all but the endmost portions fully immersed in the bath. U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,974 (the ""974 patent) discloses a method and apparatus of cryogenic freezing of discrete particles of homogenized egg yolk and egg white. A peristaltic pump causes the discrete particles to fall into liquid nitrogen, and the frozen particles, ranging in size from 3 mm to 7 mm, are removed from the liquid nitrogen by a screw conveyor. UK Patent GB 2 092 880 discloses an apparatus for freezing drops of cream into solid pellets carried by flowing liquid nitrogen. U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,363 discloses a method of freezing a continuous pulsating stream of a liquid such as cream into discrete spheroidal bodies. U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,156 discloses a method of dripping an alimentary composition from a feed tray into liquid nitrogen to form beads.
What is needed beyond the prior art is a method of rapidly freezing and packaging dessert particles such as cream, ice cream, or flavored water.
The invention which meets the needs identified above is a machine for rapidly producing cryogenically frozen dessert particles comprising a refrigerated mixer, a plurality of hoses connecting the refrigerated mixer to a filling head, a bath having a housing and a tank for liquid nitrogen, a bath belt rotatably engaged to the housing, a cluster cylinder rotatably engaged to the housing, and a delivery belt. The method of employing the apparatus comprises the steps of placing a mix into the refrigerated mixer, pumping the mix through the plurality of hoses into the filling head, allowing the mix to stream into liquid nitrogen in a tank in the bath, carrying the particles formed out of the liquid nitrogen by means of a conveyor belt, breaking up clumps of particles and transporting the particles to a channel guide for weighing and packaging.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers represent like parts of the invention.